Allotment/Veg Patch -Thread 8 - Its spring - time to get busy!

[bookbook]

Thought I had better get a new thread ready to roll!
It has been a long, soggy winter , but the clocks go back soon, we may see the sun , so it will be all go, go ,go
Everyone welcome, join us the celebrate and commiserate on the joys of vegetables
previous thread HERE

A quick pop in - did Lulooo's recipe tonight for our meal - it was delicious - so thanks , that goes in the folder called - do it again :)

Evening all. Nematodes turned up in the post this afternoon and so I was FORCED to go out and water them in. Lovely sunny evening , girls and I ate outside. Back in front of the computer now. DH away so I think I'll take us all to the garden centre tomorrow just to see what's what in the fruit bushes section...

I got the first harvest of things I'd sown today- lettuce thinnings, pick and come again salad leaves and radishes! Can't believe how quickly things grow in a polytunnel

Got some serious catching up to do after being away last week and having DS on holiday this week though. We got a bit of weeding done today, but need to do more and sow loads of stuff. I've got some squash seedlings coming up on my windowsill, amd peppers/chilli finally germinated after we came back and I made my husband put the heating on occasionally

Lulooo that looks like a great idea.

Planted the sweet corn yesterday, so we shall see.

Oh no Clara! Hopefully they are easy to figure out.

Need to go and water tomorrow. The ground is getting very dry now.

I have just brought my tomatoes inside from the greenhouse, and it is raining and cold......
Eating - warmth is all, no doubt about it!
Cath - are you becoming a bit addicted ?

Off to the plot soon for a morning of digging, rotavating and planting. It is due to be cold next week so I will be covering the newly planted plants with poly cloches and hoping that will be sufficient.

I'm off to work in our charity horticultural shop -:)
its looking a bit grey, and we had a fair bit of rain overnight.
2 courgettes have popped out overnight, and 8 out of 12 sweetcorn from my second sowing. Pleased at that! But no sign of cucumber or squash yet.....

We finally have a bit of drizzle!

Just caught up on GW. I liked the piece about the no-dig garden. I'm wondering whether to have some more veg growing out the front (not this year) in four no-dig beds. But wondering if there's a way to do it so the four beds aren't totally bare in winter. Some googling is in order today I think!

I can confirm that the plots at our local allotment are 50ft by 55ft, and rent is £26 a year. They're advertising for new tenants. I'm tempted but I think it will just be too much work for me with working 4 days a week and running around after a toddler. Although you lot are probably not the best ones to ask to talk me out of it...

I need to prick out my tomatoes and cauliflowers this weekend. I know I can plant the tomatoes right up to the leaves - can you do the same with cauliflower? Mine are a bit leggy from.growing on the windowsill! If I had an allotment plot, I could get a greenhouse...

Is it too late to plant broccoli? I've got PSB seeds, and they're something I'd like to grow over the winter. Ideally, I want my raised beds in use over the winter as well.

Firefly you could plant lots of your plot with (my beloved) fruit, that just needs planting and then leaving really. And anything else you do - weeding, mulching, feeding, netting etc is optional.

Gin what about things like chard out the front? Beautiful, and can stand happily over winter.
And, er - fruit. Everywhere. For everyone.
Artichokes? Very sculptural. Perennial herbs?

I loved the no dig bit on GW. I'm mostly no dig (once initially cultivated / couch and bindweed dug out) but of course mine doesn't look as nice or as bountiful as Charles'. He puts sooooooo much mulch on, I think that's the secret. I mulch, but not know his vast quantities.

I finally have a few pea seedlings popping above the soil, and I think the lettuce has germinated too - though I suppose it could be weeds.

We're finally forecast some rain next week. I think it has been something like 3 weeks since we last had a decent amount of rain.

Chard is a good idea Zebra, and maybe a mini Apple tree or something might be nice too. I'm not mad keen on berries other than strawberries and raspberries though.

I've been faffing about making markers so far today rather than actually going outside

I missed GW (DCs made me watch Grand Designs instead) but I have to say bindweed/couchgrass removal is the bane of my allotment life, as fast as I clear one area it has taken over another.

We've actually got some drizzly rain here today. It came on about 10 minutes after I put the washing out on the airer to dry. Hopefully it will ease off later so I can go over to the plot and get on with things.

We've got loads of couchgrass in the plot that we've taken over. I spent a couple of hours clearing it from around a few of the raspberries. And that's just a fraction of the total that needs sorting out eventually.

Have just spent a couple of hours sorting out my tiny hedges. Some of the bushes/trees had roots growing above the soil so I've covered them all with my lovely loam and hope they'll be ok. Then I came inside and discovered not-so-DH had eaten my lunch.

The hosta he stomped all over a few weeks ago is growing fine now, thankfully, but the strimmed hydrangea is not doing anything. Suspect it is a goner.

Watching GW now. I'm trying to do no-dig gardening. I didn't put enough organic matter on the garden last year so I've had to dig it over this year.

A question: some potatoes are growing in the plot I put them in last year. If I leave them will they grow decent potatoes or is it better to remove them? I had planned to grow my dwarf beans there this year.

Afternoon!
I have been sowing my beans , and pricking out brassicas in the greenhouse. Warm in there , nearly hot!
I watched the GW on the no dig, and he has been doing it since the early 80's - so I suspect a lot of time, and mulch has beed sorted to get it to that state. I do as little 'digging" as I can - I weed, and yy WhoKnows - bindweed and couch are still ever present here. I just gently fork the top inch, and then mulch over winter, then gently fork over ready for planting. But the bindweed and couch get forked a bit more deeply ( like Australia....) It is starting to work, but after nearly 7 years ...
Gin - very artistic - I have bits of wood as my labels, and then only for potatoes! - How about romanesco for over winter - very pretty !
Firefly on sowing - they may pop up quick , but also look out for plants - our big local nursery has loads of veg plant plugs for sale , ( and there is an enormous one just on the York ring road called Vertigrow that have everything you can imagine )
Grouchy - a bit curates egg there.......I suspect they will grow potatoes, and maybe even half decent ones, but is it worth it, I don't think you get as good a crop.

Thanks, books. They were just normal potatoes that had sprouted so I bunged 'em in last year. They weren't great so I think I'll take out the new plants.

Hello. I've been away for a couple of weeks but headed down to my garden this morning - and was very disheartened by all the weeds - especially the mares tail 😱. I know I'm going to be dealing with all the weeds forever but it felt like all my hard work clearing the beds has been for nothing. I know I just have to get used to this and keep going but it's tough at times - seems like there's so much to keep on top of.

I've read that one of the best ways to deal with mares tails without chemicals is just to keep cutting it at soil level as it depletes it and eventually kills it off, but that's a big job when it's over so much of the plot. This is the amount I cleared from my beds today.

On a more positive note, my onions are going nicely, as are the peas I planted before we left, the currant bushes are flowering and looking lovely, and my squash and pumpkins are ready to plant out.

I found a woodruff syrup recipe that doesn't need alkohol, so will be trying that this week.
it needs to be done before flowering as otherwise it contains too much coumarin.

Firefly - lots of people bring their children onto the field. Give your toddler a patch to dig/rake/plant. The thing with an allotment is to do little and often rather than blitzing. Perfect for 'airing' your little one.

Just got back from my plot. Had a lovely day with DH putting the polythene over the polytunnel/greenhouse. We've done all.the four sides. Just need to fix a few loose bits and flaps now. It's not a pretty job- but it's nice and toasty inside and that's what matters. Really pleased.

I planted all my extra strawberry plants into to my newly created space that I dug up a couple of days ago. And I took my peas and French beans over and planted them out. They're hardened off but I'm still not sure whether it's too early. It's done now anyway.

I also tried putting a pea frame up. But I completely forgot what I did last year. In the end I just poked some bamboo canes in and attached some netting to the perimeter. Not sure if it's enough but hey ho.

I need two full days at the allotment to do my little bits and bats and get things in order before I go on holiday. Where they'll come from I have no idea.

I may have bought - finally- two gooseberry bushes. Given myself a talking to as I can't justify spending anything else. So much to weed and sort in the garden and lots of trees I should have pruned earlier this year and didn't. I haven't been shaping my baby plum tree and it has branches all over the place - I feel under confident about doing it - maybe YouTube is my friend here. . I did let the girls chose a plant each with their pocket money while suppressing my urge to say- really THAT one?? Got home and the first flower is on my dwarf peas- very happy

I enjoyed GW last night. I am able to take the advice about pelagoniums sp? saw how to earth up my potatoes correctly and also admired Charles' stereo two can watering method .

Evening!
thats gardening goodenough - just keep plodding on, it will get easier.
Lulooo - toasty sounds good. But a warning - Monday and Tuesday nights are forecast very cold ( you are in West Yorkshire I think? ) - between -2º and -4º . So peas will cope, but I'm not sure french beans will. Could you put fleece or bubble wrap around then for protection? Enjoy your holiday :)
Cath -I'm not saying a word. But flowers on peas!
Someone on our local gardening site is offering 2 Japanese wineberries for £3.50. I have been trying to persuade myself I can fit them in somewhere . DH - 'no we have no room for them ...' < I sulk very slightly>

Book this is my japanese wine berry, it is growing to cover a nasty soil pipe in my garden, it is a very small bit of soil in the gravel. DM gave me the cutting, she hacks hers back regularly to make it less bushy and it still fruits well. They don't take up that much room..............